Projects

There is nothing we will not do for a Child Fighting Cancer and his/her Family, as long as we have the resources to do so. However, our work can be divided into the following four main areas:

Hospital Ward Assistance - LFCT providing practical and targeted Support to the Child with Cancer and his/her bedside care-giver in 14 paediatric oncology hospital wards across South Africa. Each hospital based Project we launch, reaches between 1500 and 2000 Children with Cancer.

Individual Childhood Cancer Affected Families - LFCT in direct and personal contact with almost 100 individual Childhood Cancer Affected Families all over South Africa. The Family is Supported as a Unit, not only the Child who is Fighting Cancer. We do as many home visits as possible, and have a 24/7 line of communication for our Families, utilizing a wide variety of multi-media resources.

Places of Safety - Receive Support from LFCT with the provision of bedding, clothing, shoes, school bags and stationary, nutritional support, educational toys and activity sets, books, playground equipment and much more, for entire wards. Additionally, we will take the children on outings, host in-house parties such as Christmas time and Birthdays.

Promoting and Advocating Childhood Cancer Awareness - September is International Childhood cancer Awareness Month, a fact which our organisation brought under the attention of the South African Government, and since 2012, Childhood Cancer Awareness Month is also listed on the Government’s National Awareness Calendar.

However, Children are not only diagnosed with cancer in September, so the Little Fighters Cancer Trust is fully committed to spreading Awareness and Childhood Cancer Education every day of the year.

Awareness = Early Diagnosis = Lives Saved.

Our Support and Awareness Projects are born either from opportunity or out of needs arising.

The Little Fighters Cancer Trust operates nationally and our Projects are implemented across South Africa. Detailed in the following sections, you will find more information on our long-term Projects, but please note, we also have short and medium term projects, and, with the right corporate partners on board, can specifically design Projects for companies as part of their Corporate Social Responsibility Portfolios, encouraging more than just financial contributions.

We appreciate the following from our Partnerships and Sponsors:

Staff Involvement

Hands on work time with the LFCT Team

Long term Partnerships

Using more than just your financial resources, for example; expertise, product, marketing and promotional networks and services

In return, we offer:

Full Section 18A Tax Benefits

Maximum BBEEE score

Staff Involvement Opportunities

Feedback Reports

Ties with an Organization who has a tremendously good public profile, reputability and secure financial management

Soozies Baby Bag Project was born from a culmination of need and love.

Imagine yourself in the position of a rural Mother, whose baby had a fever for days, and who takes her baby to the clinic early one morning, when fever syrups and cool baths don’t work anymore.

The Clinic Sister can’t find a reason for the fever, and refers you to the closest town, to see a doctor at the local hospital. This doctor seems concerned, and once again, you and your baby are referred to another Town, where there is a bigger hospital.

Getting to this hospital, tests are done, and you are told that your baby has cancer, and that you will be taken to a Regional Hospital, which has a paediatric oncology unit.

What started off as a 5 km journey to your local community clinic this morning has ended up in a 600 km journey away from home, with your baby on a chemo drip by 17:00 that evening.

Apart from fear and sadness, you realize, you don’t have much money with you, and you realise you don’t have much with you for either yourself, or your baby. Shaking concern for yourself, you try to work out how long it will be before you run out of diapers, lotions and in the travel; your baby lost the only dummy you had on you.

Alone in a strange place, under the worst circumstances you could ever imagine your baby to be in, you don’t know where to turn and what to do.

A kind face appears round the door, and a lady walks in, hands you a big bag with a green frog on it, and says, “This is for you Mama”.

When you open the bag after the kind lady leaves, tears of gratitude sting your eyes. Biting hard on your lip, you find wet wipes, a face cloth, towel, a new baby blanket, teddy bear, a big pot of Aqueous cream, baby wash, ear buds, two new bottles, a dummy and a pretty bib, even a bowl and spoon, baby nail scissors, a bottle brush, teething ring, baby powder and bum cream all packed neatly in a bag, with a little note which reads, “With Love, the Little Fighters Cancer Trust and Supporters”.

This, in short, is what our Soozies Baby Bag Project is about.

We aim to pack and distribute 100 Soozies to newly diagnosed cancer babies during 2016. These will be gifted to Mothers of newly diagnosed Cancer babies when they are admitted to hospital for the first time after diagnosis.

Financial Sponsorship needed for this Project:

Product Donations Needed for this Project:

Wet Wipes

Aqueous Cream

Baby Face Cloths

Medium Size Towels

Baby Blankets

Medium Size Teddy Bears

Baby Powder

Bum Cream

Ear Buds

Baby Nail Scissors

Baby Bottles

Bowls and Baby Spoons

Bottlebrushes

Teething Rings

Pacifiers

If your Company would like to invest in this lovely Project to spread the love and care that this project was born from, please contact mandie@littlefighters.org.za

In many childhood cancer families, there are siblings in the home, and with one parent having had to leave his/her employment to take care of the child with caner around the clock, there is less income, but more expenses, and the siblings are hugely affected.

In January, we provide as many as possible of the individual families whom we support’s school going siblings with school bags, stationary, and if funds permit, school uniforms and school shoes.

We launch the Christmas Elf Project in October, as some of the hospitals prefer us doing Christmas deliveries in the wards and clinics in November already.

The aim for the ward is to send as many children as possible home for December, as a hospital is not a nice place to spend the Holidays, and only if treatment is urgent, or the child really has to stay in hospital, will they insist.

We start the deliveries before each hospital starts sending children home for December, so that we can reach as many as possible children with a little Christmas cheer.

The Individual Childhood Cancer Families whom we Support on an ongoing basis, will receive their deliveries in December, and we do not only send a gift box for the Child with Cancer, but all his/ her siblings as well.

Product Donations Needed for this Project:

Nice, new Christmas gifts, preferably educational in nature, all ages, boys and girls

Approximately 80% of the around 200 000 diagnosed Childhood Cancer cases worldwide are in developing countries, including South Africa.

The severe lack of Awareness surrounding Childhood Cancer reflects in the extremely poor rate of diagnosis; approximately only 33% of Childhood Cancer cases in South Africa are correctly diagnosed.

Earlier diagnosis affords a Child with Cancer a much higher chance of survival as 70% of Childhood Cancers are 100% curable… IF diagnosed in time!

The Child Cancer Survival Rate in developed countries like the USA and Europe is between 80% and 90%; in developing countries like South Africa the survival rate is a shocking 10% to 20%.

An increase in early diagnosis will only come about as a direct result of increased Awareness around the Early Warning Signs of Childhood Cancer. In South Africa, only approximately 700 children are diagnosed with cancer annually; up to 1 500 children are either misdiagnosed or not diagnosed at all.

Childhood Cancer treatments currently result in 60% of Children with Cancer suffering lifelong health and developmental problems. Earlier diagnosis would mean shorter treatment periods, hence a better chance of long-term quality of life.

The Little Fighters Cancer Trust is dedicated to educating South Africa and to creating increased Childhood Cancer Awareness 365 days a year, with the highlight of its efforts being during September, International Childhood Cancer Awareness Month.

We ask individuals and companies to GO GOLD in any way they can social media, changing the colour on their websites, adding gold ribbons and early warning signs posters and pamphlets to their offices, do childhood cancer awareness talks the statistics for childhood cancer in South Africa is shocking. Due to the lack of awareness surrounding childhood cancer, less than a third of actual childhood cancer cases in South Africa, is actually diagnosed annually. Hence, a lot of children with cancer, die before they even had any chance for treatment.

Donations and Sponsorships for Early Childhood Cancer Warning signs DL pamphlets and laminated A1 size posters are constantly needed. Please liaise with us concerning the costs, as quotations by printers are time limited.

If you would like to donate or sponsor towards the Early Childhood Cancer Warning signs please contact mandie@littlefighters.org.za

If we have the resources, product and financial, we LOVE doing a special Mother’s Day event at every hospital ward, for the mothers who are in the ward with their ill child, on Mother’s Day. We take caterers, set tables, serve them a decent lunch, and make sure each mother gets flowers, a nice gift and card.

Treating Oncologists will, over weekends like Mother’s Day weekend, or other special days, always try and send as many as possible of the children in their care home, so that they can be with their families. The only children who will be in the hospital wards on days such as Mother’s Day, is really sick, or, they live too far away from home, and cannot afford to go home and come back for treatment mere days apart.

So on Mother’s Day, it truly is the Mothers who receive no visitors, receive no gifts and whose children are really sick, who is in the hospital wards, making the Mother’s Day Project really very special.

The LFCT BAG OF HOPE Project was initiated in 2010, when it became very clear, after numerous visits to paediatric Oncology Wards, that there is a desperate need for support to the Child with Cancer AND the bedside care-giver, which is usually, the child’s Mother.

Once a Child is diagnosed with Cancer, one parent has to leave his/ her employment, as it is a 24 hour a day labour of love to take care of a Child with cancer. More often than not, it is the Mother who leaves her employment, and, depending on the diagnosis and treatment plan, these Mothers are often in the hospital ward for months or years on end. As the Family Unit has lost up to, in certain cases, 70% of their income, there is a desperate lack of support from home.

This results in Children with Cancer in Hospital Wards not having pyjamas that fit, no comfort items like a soft toy and a warm blanket, no educational toys, no treats and no activities to enjoy when feeling well enough.

Mothers, for the most of the time, does not have accommodation, and literally lives in the Ward, eating, sleeping upright in a chair and bathing in the ward wash basins. They have no sanitary products, a desperate lack of food and toiletries, and have no funds available to them to purchase even the basic necessities.

These Children with Cancer and their Mothers are forgotten by the World, and the main aims for the LFCT Bag of Hope Project, is to restore Dignity and inspire Hope.

Child’s Bag of Hope

Soft new blanket

New set of Pyjamas

Soft toy

Colouring book and crayons

Reading book, puzzle or educational game

0- PH Soap and facecloth

Toothpaste and toothbrush

Aqueous cream

Crisps

Boxed fruit juices

Sweets

Mother’s Bag of Hope

Cereals

Longlife Milk

Boxes of Cup-a-Soup

Two Minute Noodles

Sandwich Spreads

Coffee

Tea

Sugar

Rusks

Biscuits

Soap and facecloth

Towel

Shampoo and Conditioner

Toothpaste and toothbrush

Sanitary products

Little Fighters Cancer Trust liaises very closely with the Hospital Social Workers to determine specific needs of Children in the Paediatric Oncology Ward, and if there is a specific need we can address by altering the content of the Bag of Hope, we do so with pleasure, as we firmly believe in giving support which is most needed, practical and individualised.

In some cases, we have been requested specifically to provide items such as disposable diapers and underwear, justifying an adjustment to the average Bag of Hope.

The Little Fighters Cancer Trust will be responsible for all aspects pertaining to the implementation of the Bag of Hope Project.

The usual steps of implementation are as follows:

Initial contact made with hospital social worker by LFCT Project Manager

Date and Time agreed and signed commitment is made

Maximum capacity of the Ward is established, and all arrangements are made as such

Hospital PR Forms are signed by LFCT to enable us to take photographs with permission of the hospital and the parents, enabling us to give visual feedback to Donors and Sponsors

If applicable, outside of Cape Town, travel and accommodation arrangements are made

The day before the agreed upon date, LFCT contacts the ward social worker again, to confirm ages and sexes of the Children with Cancer expected to be in the ward on the day of delivery

Shopping

Packing

On the morning of delivery, LFCT will contact the ward social worker again to assess whether or not there have been any overnight admissions.

In case of new and emergency admissions, LFCT will do shopping for the specific Child/ Children en route to the hospital.

Delivery done directly to each Child with Cancer and Bedside Care-giver.

Goal: To implement Bag of Hope in 14 Paediatric Oncology Wards at least quarterly. The average maximum capacity per Paediatric Oncology Hospital Ward in South Africa is 30 beds. 80% of children will have a bedside care-giver with them.

To become involved in this project please contact mandie@littlefighters.org.za or wynand@littlefighters.org.za

We are in CONSTANT need for products to provide Childhood Cancer affected Families with monthly groceries, so we ask individuals and companies to do non-perishable food, toiletries and cleaning materials drives, so that we can continue providing groceries and toiletries to the families who depend on us for regular assistance.

Currently, we are actively involved with 100 Childhood Cancer affected Families. The majority of the Childhood Cancer Affected Families whom we offer Support to, fall into one of the following circumstances:

One parent had to quit their employment, as the Child with cancer needs permanent care, cannot go to school or is in active treatment, which means, hospitalised for weeks, sometimes months, on end

Single Parent Families, with little or no income

Grandparent Run Families, with no income, except Government Grants

Here is a basic list of non-perishable food, toiletries and household cleaning materials which would be very much appreciated:

Funds to purchase perishable foodstuffs just before delivery

·Mieliemeel, 2.5kg

·Oats, 1kg

·Rusks, large box

·Rice, 2.5kg

·Macaroni and Spaghetti

·Long Life Milk, 1 litre boxes

·Peanut Butter, 400g

·Bovril/OXO, 290g

·Tinned Jam, 490g

·Sugar, 2.5kg

·Coffee, 250g

·Tea, 100 bags

·Weetabix, 800g

·Biscuits, assorted

·Dry soup mix

·Self-rising Flour, 2.5kg

·Tinned Bullybeef

·Tinned Chicken Products

·Tinned Tuna

·Tinned Vienna’s

·Tinned Pilchards

·Tinned Breyani, chicken or beef varieties

·Meatballs in gravy or with spaghetti

·Tinned Ham

·Tinned Peas

·Tinned Corn, whole kernel and sweetcorn varieties

·Tinned Green Beans

·Tinned Baby Carrots

·Tinned Mixed Vegetables, brine and curry varieties

·Tinned Soup

·Boxes of Cup-a-Soup

·Two-minute-noodles

·All Gold Tomato Sauce

·Chutney

· Stock Cubes

·White Onion Soup, packets

·Oxtail Soup, packets

·Male Deodorant, roll-on or spray varieties

·Female Deodorant, toll-on or spray varieties

·Toothpaste

·Non-scented Aqueous Cream

·Vaseline

·0-PH Soap Bars

·Dettol Soap Bars

·Two in one Shampoo and Conditioner, large size

·Body Lotion, large size

·Disposable shaving razors

·Handy Andy, 750ml

·Domestos, 750ml

·JIK, 750ml

·Dishwashing Liquid, 750ml

·Washing Powder, 2kg

·Staysoft, sachets which mixes 2 litres

·Toothbrushes

·Facecloths

·Towels, all sizes

The Little Fighters Cancer Trust will bulk up grocery hampers with fresh produce, such as meat, fruit, vegetables and dairy products, shortly before delivery. Financial contributions toward this, is also much appreciated.

Financial contributions need to be referenced with FOOD please.

If you or your company would like to get involved please contact: mandie@littlefighters.org.za or wynand@littlefighters.org.za.

Snug as a Bug Project was born early winter of 2013, due to the increasing requests to our organization to provide Children with Cancer with clothing. In short, two young boys we met at an oncology ward spurred this project in motion. One of these children had only one pair of long pants, far too small, for winter. The other boy had to wear girl’s clothing due to having nothing else to wear.

The original aim was to do the Snug as a Bug Project as a short term project, but with enthusiasm of our Supporters and Partners, this project is now a fully-fledged long term project. During 2013’s winter, Little Fighters Cancer Trust was able to provide close to 90 Children with Cancer with brand new clothing. Due to treatment diminishing a Child with Cancer’s immune system, and the Child being very susceptible to infections, we distribute only newly bought clothing with this project.

This project will culminate twice annually, just before winter, and again just before summer. However, donations received toward the Snug as a Bug Project during the rest of the year will not go to waste, but will be distributed as the need arises among individual Childhood Cancer Affected Families and new Families requesting assistance.

Product Donations Needed for this Project:

Boy and girl Pyjamas, gowns and slippers, new, all sizes, as well as teen and adult sizes for the 12-18 year old children

The list of needs for summer is: (all sizes, as well as teen and adult sizes for the 12-18 year old children)

T-shirts, Boys and Girls,

Shorts, Boys and Girls,

Summer dresses and skirts,

Girls tights,

Socks, Boys and Girls,

Pyjamas, Boys and Girls,

Panties for girls, underpants for boys,

Pyjama Party:

Children SO often end up in a paediatric oncology hospital ward with NO pyjamas. We ask individuals and companies to donate new pyjamas, all sizes and for boys and girls (Pyjama parcel should include pyjamas, gown and slippers), and we go from ward to ward, making sure each child is gifted with the dignity of nice, new pj’s. We do as many deliveries as the donations allow for.

We encourage groups, whether religious, sport, cultural or corporate, to purchase new clothing according to the specifications above and to deliver to our office in Paarl for distribution.

Alternatively, as a registered NPO with PBO status, we are very successful in haggling with shops for better prices and discounts. Financial contributions can therefore also be made toward the Snug as a Bug Project, and we will do the shopping for you, stretching your donation to do its most!

The idea behind this initiative is to inspire the community to Give and to Work Together. People from the community is encouraged to go to school, church or work as per normal, dressing as you would on any other day. However, the shoes you happen to have chosen to wear that morning, you take off at work, at school or wherever you are, and gift it to the project. You then go barefoot for the entire day, as a reminder of how uncomfortable it is for those who do not have the blessing of a pair of shoes. Drakenstein Transformation will collect all the shoes by arrangement, and will distribute to those in the community who have a need for shoes.

Although this project does supply shoes to a wide variety of community initiatives, projects and organizations, the philosophy it works at building is, that it does not matter who you are, you do have something to give. Whether it is the shoes, or even your time in helping to sort out the shoes for distribution, we need to change the mind-set of South Africans to take action.

Little Fighters Cancer Trust became involved with this project, and with agreement from Drakenstein Transformation, we are adapting the basic idea slightly, keeping in mind the specific needs of Children with Cancer.

As you will know by now, we rarely distribute second hand goods to Children with Cancer as their immune systems are depleted due to their treatments.

The original aim of this project was to collect 100 new pairs of shoes, which we wanted to deliver to the Paediatric Oncology Ward at St Joseph’s Home in Cape Town. This was to offer some relief to this amazing institution, which houses up to 80 Children with Cancer annually. Proof that we can ALL work together to BE the change we want to see in the World!

However, the Barefoot for a Day Project grew exponentially. We have run Barefoot for a Day over the last two years, and in total, have gifted almost 2 000 children with cancer with a decent pair of shoes.

It takes only that very first person to take action...and many will follow.

Donations of pairs of new shoes are most welcome, but, as we haggle with stores for discounts and better deals, having NPO and PBO status, we also accept financial contributions toward the barefoot for a Day Project.

Product Donations Needed for this Project: Children’s shoes, boy and girl, all sizes. Deliveries are made to 0-18 year olds.

This is an example of a Staff Involvement Project for Corporate Companies and Businesses.

To become involved in the next Barefoot for a Day effort, please contact LFCT’s Project manager mandie@littlefighters.org.za or wynand@littlefighters.org.za

The emBRACE Project came about as the result of the plight of mothers who have to give up their jobs to look after their Child with Cancer, often spending months, even years, sitting at their bedside in the hospital and being unable to earn an income.

Little Fighters Cancer Trust decided to launch emBRACE in 2015 in lieu of the usual Mother’s Day celebrations that we do, which constituted visiting the hospitals and giving the Mothers flowers, gifts and a luncheon.

The thinking was that flowers wilt and die within days, a meal is just a meal, and the gifts get used up, whereas the gift of a form of income-generation for the mother would be far longer lasting and is something that could continue to earn her a small income (which could actually be expanded to become a substantial income at a later stage) while being limited to sitting at her child’s bedside.

The mothers of Children with Cancer sitting at their children’s bedsides often do not have money for the simple basics in life such as personal hygiene items, toiletries, food, clothing, transport, something small for their child, etc. etc.

The emBRACE Project is a job-creation and self-earning Project, which means that, even while sitting in hospital, caring for their Child with Cancer, these Mommies can still earn a small income; enough for them to be able to provide the basics for themselves, maybe have a bit spare for treats for their Little Fighters.

Enabling these mothers to keep busy and earn an income will help them financially as well as emotionally and mentally, as it will enable them to buy some basics as well as save a little or buy some little treats for their child; it will keep their minds busy so that they can think of something other than the cancer 24/7 and it will go a long way towards restoring some dignity and hope.

The basic emBRACE Project idea is to provide mothers of children with cancer, with a start-up kit for producing simple bracelets. These kits will be small enough to take with to the hospital, where the mothers often have nothing to occupy themselves with during the times that their child is sleeping.

The Little Fighters Cancer Trust will package and re-sell the bracelets to the public via:

Shops – we have some which are already supportive of our Organisation and our cause

Schools – Children and Classes can take it on as a charity project

Businesses – Companies that would be willing to promote the product among their staff or to utilise the bracelets as corporate gifts at company meetings and events

Social Media – Little Fighters Cancer Trust and its supporters would promote and sell via social media sites

The bracelets will be sold for twice the amount that the mothers earn from each unit. There will be a set unit price, to ensure fairness and equal opportunity.

Mothers will be paid for the bracelets they have made BEFORE the bracelets are actually sold, so they will not need to wait for their income.

LFCT will assist the Mommies to “save” a small portion of their earnings by restocking their kits for free for the first three months so that they can get on their feet, so to speak. Thereafter they will be able to restock their kits themselves by purchasing them at cost price from LFCT.

The mark-up per unit, will be utilised by Little Fighters Cancer Trust to:

Cover packaging and distribution costs

Facilitate Duplication of the Project: A portion of each unit’s sale will be retained until enough funds have been accumulated to launch the emBRACE Project in another Pediatric Oncology Hospital Ward.

The plan is that the emBRACE Project will be duplicated in all of the provinces, so that it will eventually include all the Pediatric Oncology Hospital wards in South Africa.

HOW CAN YOU HELP MAKE THIS A REALITY?

Sponsorship: You can sponsor an emBRACE start-up kit for a Mommy.

Sales: Once we have the very first hospital ward’s Mommies starting to produce bracelets, you can help us sell them at schools, businesses, between friends and family….the possibilities are endless.

If your Company would like to invest in this earning opportunity for Care-givers of children with cancer, giving them a hand-up and freeing them from hand-out's, please contact mandie@littlefighters.org.za to discuss the full details of this Project

“A Child needs to be wrapped warmly against the cold realities of Life. The only arms which can reach everywhere are those of Community. So in the run-up up to winter, let’s make it warm, safe and filled with love for Children with Cancer across our Land”

The Little Fighters Cancer Trust Get Wrapped Project was born out of our visits to Paediatric Oncology Hospital wards across South Africa. During these visits we realised that even though some hospitals are better equipped than others, there was a dire shortage of and need for decent bedding at most of the hospitals.

No child should have to go without decent bedding and a nice soft warm blanket to keep them warm in the cold winter months, let alone a child Fighting Cancer with all their might. Children undergoing chemotherapy treatment also get very cold during the treatment and it is terrible to see them shivering and shaking from cold.

The Little Fighters Cancer Trust Get Wrapped Project entails asking for donations of new single bed blankets, preferably soft blankets due to the children’s sensitive skins due to some of the treatment regimens.

Only new blankets are accepted due to the compromised immune systems of the Children with Cancer.

Get Wrapped is a project which sees us deliver 3000+ new single bed size blankets to children with cancer in hospital wards, as well as to all the individual families and family members, of the individual families whom we support. These need to be new and soft blankets as little one’s skins can be very sensitive due to treatment.

"Mr Mandela has spent 67 years making the world a better place. We're asking you for 67 minutes."

Nelson Mandela's birthday is on 18 July, and the call is out for people everywhere to celebrate his birthday by acting on the idea that each person has the

power to change the world. He said: "It is time for new hands to lift the burdens. It is in your hands now."

On Mandela Day, we host HUGE birthday parties in as many paediatric oncology hospital wards in SA as possible. On that day, it is EVERY child in the ward’s birthday. Everyone will get a nice birthday present, we take birthday cake, drinks, snacks, sweets, platters of food for the mommies and daddies. For a child with cancer, the next birthday is never guaranteed, so this is a very special project, and we wish we can do all 15 wards every single year, as the children SO enjoy the day.

We take clowns, entertainment, balloon artists….anything we can get sponsored or financially covered by sponsorships.

In addition to the above, there are also opportunities for getting your hands dirty on the day, such as basic maintenance work on the home or room of a child with cancer, provision of inside or outside play aids at hospitals or places of safety, purchasing and delivering groceries to a childhood cancer family, laying carpets and much more.

We work with your company to maximize your budget, but we cannot accommodate Mandela Day Projects unless they have been confirmed a month before the day. Arrangements with hospitals, places of safety, families and suppliers need to be made well ahead of time.

As Mandela Day is an opportunity for your Company to showcase your values, we trust you understand that, for telephone calls, fuel, time and materials, we ask a 20% donation from your Company to help us cover operational and organizing costs, as to not be a drain on our already limited resources and funds.

MANDELA DAY PROJECTS DO NEED TO BE CONFIRMED WELL IN ADVANCE AND NOT AS A LAST MINUTE SCRAMBLE.